When it comes to Bible prophecy, one of the dismissive criticisms of scoffers is that generations of Christians have come and gone without the promise of Jesus’ coming being fulfilled. Skeptical of the “practical” value of anticipating Jesus’ soon return, they will ask, “What’s the point?”
Were they able to testify to us still, I have every confidence that those who have gone to be with the Lord after longing for the Rapture in this life would strongly encourage us to share the anticipation they exemplified. That would include Tim LaHaye and Hal Lindsay, two faithful witnesses who emphasized the literal interpretation of God’s Word. They rose to prominence the last half of the 20th century, alerting the sleeping Church to the signs of the times. Both men became best-selling authors and respected Bible teachers because they took God at His Word.
Tim LaHaye
Tim LaHaye was born in 1926 in Detroit, Michigan. When he was ten years old, his father died of a heart attack. Tim was devastated until the funeral preacher declared, “This is not the end of Frank LaHaye; because he accepted Jesus Christ, the day will come when the Lord will shout from Heaven and descend, and the dead in Christ will rise first and then we’ll be caught up together to meet Him in the air.” Those encouraging words of comfort and anticipation became a motivating vision that propelled Tim LaHaye throughout his life.
Following service during WWII as a machine gunner on a US bomber over Europe, Tim graduated from Bob Jones University and then Western Seminary. His theological interests were wide-ranging—and impactful. While still serving as a pastor in San Diego, he founded a Christian college, helped launch the Institute for Creation research and the Pre-Trib Study Group. Clearly engaged in spreading salt and light in contemporary society, Tim LaHaye never stopped looking forward to the Rapture.
In 1995, LaHaye joined with Jerry Jenkins to launch Left Behind, a series of books providing a fictional narrative to convey his expectation of End Times events. Several books in the 16-part series became bestsellers and spawned five feature-length films. Long before his death in 2016, Tim LaHaye was recognized as “one of the 25 most influential evangelicals in America” (Time magazine), if not the “most influential Christian leader of the preceding quarter century” (the Evangelical Studies Bulletin).
Hal Lindsey
Hal Lindsey’s life closely mirrored that of Tim LaHaye. Born in Houston in 1929, Lindsey served in the US Coast Guard during the Korean War. He graduated from Dallas Theological Seminary while it was a hotbed of dispensationalism.
He wrote The Late Great Planet Earth to present a broad overview of eschatology from a pre-Tribulation, pre-Millennial Rapture perspective. Released in 1970, Lindsey’s book touched a nerve in America. The New York Times referred to it as “the number 1 non-fiction bestseller of the decade.” Orson Welles narrated the movie version of the book released in 1978.
Lindsey was able to explain Bible prophecy in a way that connected with people concerned that the world was spiraling out of control. Lindsey himself was unequivocal about the main point of his book and his teaching. In an interview with People magazine, he stressed, “The only thing you need to understand is that God offers you in Jesus Christ a full pardon.”
Hal Lindsey wrote other books that exploded on the literary scene at just the right time, like Satan is Alive and Well on Planet Earth (1972). He also continued to emphasize a literal interpretation of Bible prophecy through his weekly news commentary, “The Hal Lindsey Report,” until his death in November 2024.
What’s the Point?
Like many others who longed to see the Rapture in their mortal bodies, Tim LaHaye and Hal Lindsey have gone on to be with the Lord. But their passionate advocacy for the relevance and urgency of God’s prophetic Word has lasting value.
Not only did they awaken millions to the Signs of the Times multiplying all around us, but they also provided a clarion call to interpret Bible prophecy literally. For many in the Church who had never been exposed to what God has clearly revealed regarding the End Times, their ability to communicate on a popular level was eye-opening.
Scores of Christians now thrill over the blessed assurance that Jesus is coming again. We owe a debt of gratitude to the work of the Holy Spirit through men like Tim LaHaye and Hal Lindsey. Yet an even greater blessing awaits those of us who are “looking for the Blessed Hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus” (Titus 2:13).
Paul told his protégé Timothy, “In the future there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day; and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing” (2 Timothy 4:8).
The Rapture carries a Christ-exalting, Gospel-rooted promise—the forward-looking message of hope for those who faithfully follow Jesus, our Blessed Hope. Soon, He will pierce the darkness of this world to gather us to Himself. The fact that He still tarries does not take away from the promise that those who long for His appearing, like Paul, will receive a crown of righteousness—not based on their own merit, but credited to them from Jesus’ infinite abundance of righteousness due to their anticipation of His coming again.
That same message carries a solemn warning for those still under God’s wrath. Yet no matter your past or who you are, you can come to know Jesus as Savior and Lord, yearn to dwell with Him forever in the place prepared for those who trust Him, and eagerly await His promised return.
Do not wait. Confess your need for a Savior today and call on Jesus to save you. Then join me in loving Him and longing for Him to appear in the sky for His Church. If you do, you too can look forward to receiving a crown of righteousness.
Revelation 4:9-11 describes the scene in heaven when the 24 elders cast their crowns before the throne and worship the LORD God. I believe there will be a time when all who have been saved by the blood of the Lamb will be able to cast our crowns at His feet.
When the cry rings out, “Get ready to cast your crowns before the Lamb!”, I don’t want to be empty-headed. Do you?
